


Reward

by ami_ven



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: mcsheplets, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-28
Updated: 2014-01-28
Packaged: 2018-01-10 08:34:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1157463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If he makes it back to Atlantis alive, John promises himself a reward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reward

**Author's Note:**

> written for LJ community "mcsheplets" prompt #132 "kiss"

If he survived this, John promised himself, needing all of his concentration just to keep putting one foot in front of the other, if he made it back to Atlantis alive, he was going to kiss Rodney McKay.

It seemed like a ridiculous reward for a twenty mile hike back up the (geologically unstable) mountain that held this planet’s stargate, but a kiss was something he could take without feeling guilty about it later. A kiss, he could blame on exhaustion, or the concussion and bruised ribs he’d gotten in the fall down that sinkhole that dumped him in the bottom of the valley. A kiss, he could explain away and they’d never have to mention it again. But just for a moment, when he was tired and hurt and miserable, John wanted to pretend that Rodney was his to come home to.

The ground ahead got suddenly steeper, and John took another look at Rodney’s scanner, which showed that he was still heading in the right direction. The scanner and his GDO, both secure in his tac vest, had survived his subterranean tumble, so John would be able to get through to Atlantis when he made it up the mountain.

If he made it.

John shook his head. He was going to keep moving. He was going to climb this damn mountain, and ‘gate back to Atlantis, and kiss Rodney so hard he wouldn’t—

John stumbled on a loose rock, scraping his palms as he caught his fall. Rodney probably didn’t know he’d survived the fall. He probably shouldn’t have survived, all things considered, but then he’d never been that good at following the rules. But Rodney had no way of knowing that, at least in part because John still had his scanner. John had lost his radio somewhere along the way, probably in the same bumpy ride that had given him that concussion.

The ground leveled suddenly, and John nearly fell head-long into the ‘gate. When he stopped, leaning heavily against the DHD, he wanted nothing more than to collapse under the sudden aches that flared to life when he stopped moving. He took a deep breath and punched in the ‘gate address, then his GDO code. Without his radio, he had no way to know if Atlantis had dropped the iris shield, so he took another deep breath, counted to twenty, and stepped through the wormhole.

The Gate Room was full of Marines halfway through assembling their all-terrain rescue gear, jostling around a couple of geologists who looked more than a little uncomfortable in their tac vests.

And there, in the middle of it all, was Rodney, apparently stopped mid-rant by the incoming wormhole.

John grinned. “Hey, Rodney.”

“Sheppard,” he breathed, sounding relieved and annoyed at the same time. “ _John_.”

For a moment, they just looked at each other, then John’s knees finally gave out and Rodney rushed forward to catch him. 

“God, Sheppard,” he said. “I saw you fall, and I thought… I thought…”

John hadn’t realized just how cold he was until he could feel Rodney’s warmth seeping into him. He shivered, and Rodney tightened his hold.

“Hey,” said Rodney. “Are you okay?”

John pulled back just far enough to look at him, then tugged Rodney into a searing kiss. If he was only going to get one shot at this, he was going to make the best of it— he didn’t even tense up in anticipation of Rodney pushing him away.

Only, Rodney didn’t push him away. It took John’s exhausted brain a few seconds to realize that Rodney was, in fact, _kissing him back_.

When they broke for air, Rodney was looking at him with wide blue eyes. “Please, _please_ , do not let that have been your obvious concussion talking.”

“I promised myself that if I made it back, I would kiss you,” John blurted, and he was absolutely blaming _that_ on the concussion.

“ _Me_ , me? Or whoever you’re hallucinating I am? Because—”

“You, Rodney,” said John.

“Oh, good,” he said, and this time, he kissed John.

Just as it was getting good, Rodney pulled away.

“You…” he began, then shook his head. “Idiot,” he said, with deep affection, pulling John’s arm over his shoulder. “You are going to the infirmary. But after that, I can promise you much more than just kissing.”

“Okay,” John agreed, but leaned in for another kiss. Anything else would have to wait until he got out of the infirmary, but kissing was a pretty good start.

THE END


End file.
